The Merchant Districts
The Merchant Districs The Merchants’ District lies beside the ziggurat. Moving clockwise from the ziggurat, the Merchants’ District is bounded by the Warrens, the Nobles’ Quarter, the Tradesmens’ District, and the Nobles’ Quarter again. Caravan Way divides the Merchant District, ending in a loop around Iron Square where the most powerful trading families have their emporiums. All Athas’ largest trading houses maintain emporiums and agents in Tyr. Interspersed with these are the small traders who fill niche markets and handle spot cargo that the larger merchants have no room or desire for. Fierce rivalries and subtle intrigues punctuate the day-to-day business operations among the competitive merchants. Some of the players in Tyr’s trade are detailed below: House Vordon House Vordon is the region’s primary trader of iron. With the iron mines producing once more, House Vordon should profit greatly. Now that the house’s cashflow has been restored, Vordon means to set things aright. The primary routes of this trading house stretch from Tyr northeast to Urik and south to Altaruk and Balic. The Vordon emporium takes up a full corner of Iron Square, lying to the left of Caravan Way as it enters the square. A staff of 30 agents and guards serve customers in the emporium. Steel tools and weapons gleam from wall racks, bolts of cotton fabric rest in another corner of the room, and precious works of glass, stone, and gemcraft are displayed in a fine case adjoining the central counter. The front of the building houses the retail functions, while the rear consists of offices and storage. Anyone entering the emporium is greeted warmly by a Vordon agent who attends to them personally for the entire time they are in the building. Those wishing to make caravan arrangements are referred to the company’s main office. Directly across the street from the emporium next to the Nobles’ Quarter, House Vordon maintains its main office and a large, very secure warehouse. A small, fortified outpost used for storage of wagons and pack animals can be found five miles south of Tyr. With Tyr’s trade on the rise recently, fewer wagons are left idle for any length of time. Adventurers won’t find employment with House Vordon, but will be referred politely to inquire at one of the smaller trade houses down the street, House Troika. Emblem: A black diamond (representing iron) on a red-brown field (for the mountains around Tyr). Trade Goods: Iron, weapons, artwork, textiles, and slaves (outside of Tyr). The other trading houses with emporiums on Iron Square (moving clockwise) include: House Wavir based in Balic, is a dominant force in the southern portions of the region. This house is on very good terms with the new government of Tyr and is seeking to expand its trade in this area. Wavir currently feuds with Tsalaxa, but has no quarrels with any other houses. House Wavir trades in all the major cities, but also maintains important routes between Balic and Ledopolus, Walis, and Salt View. Emblem: A silver jozhal on a blue field. Trade Goods: Grain, ceramics, and precious metals with some small trade in hardwood, gems, and exotic animals. House Shom A vast trading power from Nibenay, corrupt and decadent, is in advanced stages of decline. Once a name feared and respected throughout the region, Shom now is the target of ridicule and derision. Members of the family have withdrawn from their management of the company, too absorbed with their own lavish lifestyles and personal vices to care. Senior agents care nothing for the collapsing Shom empire. Driven by greed, they use their positions to line their own pockets. Even smuggling and selling contraband can be arranged for a hefty bribe. House Shom has few openings for hirelings right now, but those that are hired should be very careful to watch their backs. The pay is excellent, but current agents are very protective of their positions and are not averse to arranging convenient “accidents” for challenging upstarts. Shom serves most of the major cities except for Gulg. The trading house also maintains the village of Cromlin on the Sea of Silt, one of its few profitable operations, to trade with nomadic tribes in the area. Many other outposts exist, but are generally not profitable or are placed at out of the way locations where trade routes have long ago dried up. Emblem: Three white dragonflies on a red and black diagonally divided field. Trade Goods: Obsidian, rice, water, and wood with minor trade in art and weapons. House Tsalaxa The primary trading house of Draj, takes a predatory approach to business. Blackmail, espionage, and assassination are all acceptable practices to the company in its quest for wealth and power. Tsalaxa maintains friendly relations with House Stel and cordial relations with others except Wavir, to which it is overtly hostile. When the opportunity presents itself, Tsalaxa ruthlessly exterminates smaller houses, picking up the pieces for itself. Tsalaxa frequently hires adventurers as caravan guards, spies, or assassins. Once hired, however, an employee may find it very difficult to resign, particularly if they know any of House Tsalaxa’s “trade” secrets. Except for Balic, where Wavir has prevented Tsalaxa from getting a foothold, this trading house maintains important outposts for trade with Altaruk, Walis, and its trade village of Abalath near Silver Spring. Emblem: A pair of glaring, bestial eyes set on a black banner. Trade Goods: Tsalaxa is a major supplier of hemp and grain, and occasionally deals in contraband. House Stel Based in Urik, is the most aggressive, militaristic merchant house. Its emporium, across from its ally Tsalaxa, is a veritable fortress. Heavily armed and armored guardsmen patrol the grounds with brisk efficiency. Since the battle between Tyr and Urik, House Stel’s popularity has fallen off with the Tyrians. Nevertheless, Stel refuses to give up this valuable link in its chain of trade. The major caravan routes of Stel run from Urik to Raam and Draj. Additionally, Stel maintains a monopoly on the trade routes to Malaka and Ogo where it trades with halfling tribes. Emblem: A pair of crossed black scimitars on a white field. Trade Goods: Slaves (outside of Tyr), stolen cargo, weapons, ceramics, iron, and occasionally hostages for ransom. Hardwood, feathers, and gems are obtained from the halflings of Ogo as well. House M’ke House Mke persists in the face of the deteriorating political situation in Raam, its home city, where revolution is spoken of openly. The only thing that has kept this once great house solvent is its huge cash reserves. M’ke mainly trades between Raam and Draj, Urik, Tyr, Altaruk, and Balic. Other important trading posts are found on the route to Nibenay and in the village of Jalaka, located on the edge of the Forest Ridge. Most of M’ke’s remaining emporiums and outposts are manned with skeletal staffs. For example, it has consolidated its emporium and warehouse into one building in Tyr, selling its former warehouse to a rival merchant house. It now occupies the building up Caravan Way and directly across from House Vordon’s emporium. Its outposts have come under attack more and more of late as raiders and rival houses strike to take advantage of M’ke’s weakness. Unlike Shom, which seems oblivious to its demise, M’ke is desperately fighting to survive this period of turmoil. Whether it will or not remains to be seen. M’ke would be willing to take on adventurers as caravan or outpost guards, but can’t pay much right now. Emblem: A silver quill pen on a field of red. Trade Goods: Metals, food, weapons, and obsidian. Some small but profitable trade is also conducted with the halflings in Jalaka for hardwood, feathers, and gems. House Inika The last of the major trading houses to be noted here. Its small emporium stands at the corner where Caravan Way joins the side street that runs from Iron Square to the ziggurat. Very efficient and conservative in nature, Inika is one of the most profitable trading houses in the region. They deal in small but valuable items and run swift kank caravans to transport their cargos. Inika almost always avoids open conflict at all costs, but avenges wrongs committed against it by penetrating valuable markets of offending houses. Its outposts are positioned strategically at the crossroads of several important trading routes to take advantage of a variety of markets with a minimum of cost. Inika outposts can be found linking Walis and Altaruk; Gulg, Salt View, and North Ledopolus; Tyr, Altaruk, and Silver Spring; and along the southern edge of the Dragon’s Bowl between Raam and Silver Spring Emblem: A gold circle on a black field. Trade Goods: Kola nuts, gems, spices, feathers, and other small, valuable items. Inika does not transport contraband. House Troika A new trading house in Tyr, can be found in a cramped office across the street from the Shom emporium. Asher Troika, founder of the house and caravan master, is preparing for a journey to Altaruk, the Lost Oasis, and South Ledopolis, to trade silks and glassware with inhabitants and nomadic tribesmen in exchange for kank nectar, copper, and anything else that might fetch a profit in Tyr. He needs outriders and guards for the caravan. If the player characters take him up on his offer, they will find Asher to be a tough but fair boss, demanding the characters’ best efforts and rewarding them well for good work. Over the course of a few adventures, the characters may discover the secret of House Troika. It is actually a dummy trading house for House Vordon. If they investigate further, they may uncover Thaxos Vordon’s plans for power in Tyr causing them to become embroiled in a bitter battle against the mighty House Vordon (see the Dune Traders supplement for further details). Emblem: A silver spear ending in a short lightning bolt on an azure field. Trade Goods: Silk, glassware, craftwork. House Ianto House Ianto suffered greatly from the loss of the iron trade under Kalak. The company maintains a few small outposts between Silver Spring, Altaruk, Tyr, and Urik. During the upheaval in Tyr, Ianto moved out of the city, concentrating its resources into a fortress ten miles south of Tyr. Now it has set up an agent in Tyr in a small office across the street from House Wavir hoping to secure a cargo. The company would like to expand into other areas, but needs to make a few successful caravan runs before it could make such an attempt as its coffers were drained by the crash of the Tyrian economy. Ianto will be very receptive to employment inquiries from adventurers, but instead of regular wages, it will offer a small share of the proceeds from the next caravan as all its cash has been spent on cargo. Ianto hopes to barter weapons with halflings of the forest ridge for hardwood and gems. Emblem: A green Inix on a field of yellow. Trade Goods: Iron, silk, fabrics.